Dion Phaneuf Traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Marian Gaborik
Nate Thompson is also heading to Los Angeles.
Just over two years after being acquired by the Ottawa Senators, Dion Phaneuf has been dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Marian Gaborik.
TO OTTAWA: Marian Gaborik, Nick Shore
TO LOS ANGELES: Dion Phaneuf (25% retained salary), Nate Thompson
Phaneuf, who left the Sens game against Pittsburgh midway through the second period, finishes his time on the Senators with 54 points in 153 regular season games, plus an additional five points in 19 playoff games. His lone playoff goal was a memorable one, scoring in overtime in game two against the Boston Bruins.
Nate Thompson, who wasn’t playing tonight due to a minor injury, also heads west to Los Angeles. A free agent signing from this past off-season, Thompson still has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $1.65 million.
Returning to the Senators is 36-year-old Marian Gaborik, who has seven goals and 14 points in 29 games this season. The former superstar has become a frequent healthy scratch, being pushed out by the Kings’ depth forwards. His contract has three years remaining with a cap hit of $4.875 million, although his salary declines all the way to just over $3 million in the final year (2020-21).
Ottawa also acquires Nick Shore as part of the trade. The 25-year-old forward has been a staple to the Kings’ bottom six for the last three seasons, and is set to break his career-high 17 points soon (he currently has 15). Scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, he’s also the older brother of former Sens prospect Quentin Shore.
The motive behind the move for Ottawa was to get rid of Phaneuf’s contract, whose $7 million cap hit extends for three more seasons after this one. The Senators will retain 25% of his cap hit ($1.75 million), and like Gaborik, his salary also declines (down to $5.5 million in 2020-21).
Best of luck to Phaneuf and Thompson in Los Angeles, and welcome Gaborik and Shore to Ottawa!
